A recent article in the Daily Mail discussed that the Berlin gay scene actually goes back a long way, with the German capital having already been a „hotbed of homosexuality“ in the wake of the first World War and before the Nazis came to power. The 1920s hence made Berlin a vibrant, liberated city attracting numerous artists, students and travellers from all over the world.
Does this sound familiar? Well, after years of war, separation, decline and poverty, the city is thriving again, and so it its gay scene. Not only is the city open-minded and liberal when it comes to attitude towards gay people (its outgoing mayor Klaus Wowereit is also openly gay), it also attracts numerous gay visitors thanks to its wide cultural offering and vibrant bar, club and restaurant scene. Gay Berlin is, however, not concentrated in one or two areas – the scene can, much rather, be found across the whole city. The more established Berlin gay bars (which were already there in the old West Berlin) can be found around Nollendorfplatz and Motzstrasse. This scene is lively there nowadays, thanks to bars such as Heile Welt, Connection or Goya, as well as lots of restaurants, however the clientele tends to be older than in the more up-and-coming East Berlin gay scene or in Neukoelln or Kreuzberg.
Key highlights of the East Berlin are the Cafe Moskau GMF party on Sunday night (formally at Weekend Club close to Alexanderplatz– see our Berlin nightlife section) or Berghain, one of Berlin’s most iconic clubs, which also has its own separate gay only club Lab.Oratory. Prenzlauer Berg also has a few smaller neighborhood bars and saunas, such as Stahlrohr or Duplexx as well as quite a few gay-run or gay-friendly restaurants – Flax is one of them – a polyvalent bar, cafe and restaurants, highly recommended for breakfast in particular.
Neukoelln and Kreuzberg have started attracting more of the Berlin gay scene, with Schwuz, one of Berlins‘ most established gay clubs, having moved there. Kreuzberg is also home to the infamous Kit Kat Club, which also hosts certain predominantly gay nights, normally every few Fridays.
Finally, gay Berlin has, in the more recent past, started moving „upmarket“, with the higher end cocktail bar The Liberate opening quite recently at Hackescher Markt – it is elegant, glittery and feels very different from the more underground gay Berlin scene you will find in the city’s East.
